Terminal boards, including terminal blocks for terminating and testing of underground railroad wires connected to signals, track circuits and other devices on the railroad track or along the wayside, are generally protected by and provided within a bungalow or similar structure at various locations along the railroad track. Current terminal board configurations may include multiple terminal blocks installed on a terminal plane, which is usually an aluminum sheet. A four-post terminal block usually includes posts for equipment, ground, line and test connections. The posts extend from the front side of the block's body so that the various connections can be made inside the bungalow. The back side of the terminal block is mounted to the terminal plane using mounting screws. One or more underground cables are routed through the floor or a wall of the bungalow, through the aluminum sheet and connected to respective posts on the front side of the terminal blocks. Factory wiring is connected to posts at the front side of the terminal block and to equipment inside the bungalow for providing power and/or control signals to the equipment located on the track or along the wayside.
Such a configuration, however, requires a piece of plywood or other suitable material to be incorporated on the rear side of the aluminum sheet. Moreover, with current terminal board configuration designs, installation is time consuming and difficult due to the necessity of terminating cables and installing surge protectors and test links at the site. Field maintenance is also undesirably inconvenient due to the requirement of testing cables and replacing defective components such as the lightning arresters. Additionally, costs associated with wiring material and wiring labor are high. Thus, improved terminal board and block configurations are desired.